Lumber-drier



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

G. F. STARKWEATHER.

LUMBER DRIER.

No. 327,904. Patented Oct. 6, 1885 W/T/VESSES By 7L4 Afforney N. PETERS, Photo-Lithographer, Walhmgtnn, D. C.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

G. F. STARKWEATHER.

LUMBER DRIER.

No. 327,904. Patented Oct. 6, 1885 8 E S S E N 7 W By -/u Afforney Ar/m/ ,afamw N. PETERS, Pinata-Lithographer. wnlvm mm D. C

Iran STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GLEASON r. STARKWEATHER, or PULLMAN, ASSIGNOR TO EDWARD G. SHUMWAY, OF HYDE PARK, ILLINOIS.

LUMBER-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 327,904, dated October 6, 1885.

Application filed June 20, 1885.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, GLEASON F. STARK- WEATHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pullman, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Lumber-Briers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of lumberdriers in which is a series of platens'arranged in a pile and adapted to be heated by steam.

The object of my improvementis to provide for operating the said platens, opening and closing the said pile, and for drying the lumber in a more simple and a better manner than heretofore.

My invention consists, essentially, first, in a new and improved housing or outer frame for supporting and operating the pile of platens,- and, second, in certain other improved constructions and adaptation of parts connected therewith and with the pile of platens, all of which will first be set forth and described in the specification, and afterward pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, like letters refer to like parts in all the figures, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lumberdrying machine having my improvements, showing a pile of platens in connection with outer frame supporting or operating frame. Fig. 2 is a like perspective view of same with the pile of platens removed, showing the construction of the supporting or operating frame, also showing by the dotted lines how the upper part of the said frame may be moved up and down. Fig. 3 is a vertical section end view showing how the posts I) are seated in the cylinders to, also showing how the equalizing mechanism in, n, and 0 is connected and attached to the frame. Fig. 4isa perspective view of the parts m, n, and 0, which I designate equalizing mechanism.

Any suitable foundation upon which the operating-frame may be erected may be used, and may consist of the bed-sills A, with the transverse sills ]3, connected, as shown, and upon which foundation the cylinders a are rigidly attached.

The outer or operating frame consists, essentially, in an upper frame formed of the longitudinal bars 0 and transverse bars D, connected Serial No. 169,276. (No model.)

and secured together, as shown, elevated upon the posts b, and said posts seated telescopic in the basings or cylinders a, asshown. The top end of the said cylinders a are provided with removable rings a, in which packing may be placed to make a watertight joint about the post b,while admitting the said post to move up and down as a piston within the cylinders a. The top end of said posts b may be provided withacap, d, having perforated ears for attachment to the upper frame, as will be understood by the drawings. The said cylinders a areprovided withapipe,h,havingitsouterendconnected to a force-pump, (not shown,) forming a hydrostatic press, by which water may be applied within said cylinders and the posts moved outward, carrying the upper frame upward, and then when it is desired to lowersaid upper frame the water within the cylinder is let escape, and the weight of said frame will drive down the posts within the cylinders, as will'be fully understood by inspecting the drawings.

The rod 8, provided with a stop, t, on its bottom end, and having its upper end attached to the bar G, and its lower end part sliding through a perforation in the ring 0, affords a a stop-link to limit and stop the upward going of the upper frame when it has arrived at the extreme elevation desired.

m represents a slotted and toothed rack having its bottom end rigidly attached to the cylinder a or the cap 0, as shown. 0 represents a shaft having hearings in the bars 0, and carrying the pinions n, geared into the teeth of the rack m, by which a movement of one post upward will cause the shafto to rotate, and thereby move the other post a like distance.

r r represent supporting-rods having their bottom ends connected to a platen and their top ends provided with a stop, and connected to the upper frame, (shown in Fig. 1,) and more or less in number of said rods may be used, as desired. I preferably use at each corner oneshort rod and onelong rod, the short rod reaching down about one-third of the pile of platens and supporting the upper one-third of the pile of platens, and the long rod reaching down about two-thirds, as shown, supporting the central one-third of the pile. The object and purpose of these rods is to assist in supporting the pile of platens, and to relieve in a measure the weight and strain upon thelinks e. In 0peration,when the upper frame is moved upwardly, said rods hold and lift upon the platens, and when said upper frame is let down and the platens closing upon lumber between them, then said rods slide through their connection with the upper frame, and admit said upper frame to close down with the platens, all of which will be understood by Fig. 1 in the drawings.

In Fig. 1 is shown a pile of platens connected to the outer frame-the lower one-third part of said pile shown with lumber between the W platens and the platens closed upon the lumber, the central part and upper part of said pile shown without lumber, and the upper frame elevated and the platens apart ina condition to have lumber placed between them.

In operationIpr-eferabl y use water as motive power, forcibly applied through the pipe h into the cyinders a, which, driving the post b outward, upwardly moves and carries the up per frame upwardly, opening the platens, and then as the pile of platensis filled with lumber, the platens and upper frame are lowered by withdrawing the water from the cylinders, and the weight of the upper frame allowed to press upon the pile, in which condition steamis then applied into the platens at wuntil the lumber is dried, after which wateris again forcedinto said cylinders, elevating the upper frame and opening the platens, admitting the removal of the lumber.

Having thus set forth my invention, I claim 1. In a lumber-drying machine, a series of platens in a pile adapted to have lumber be tween them, in combination with the outer frame provided with a movable upper frame connected toone of the platens, their top ends W provided with a stop, and connected to the upper frame in such a manner as to permit said rod to slide loosely in the said connection, in combination with a series of platens in a pile and an upper frame, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4 The upper frame with the posts I) and cylinders a, and with a series of platens in a pile, of the toothed rack on, pinion n, and shaft 0, adapted to equalize the movement of said posts and upper frame, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a lumber-drying machine, the combination of a pile of platensadapted to havelumber placed between them, an outer frame provided with an upper frame and with posts I) telescopic within the cylinders a, rodss, adapted to limit the movement of said upper frame, and supporting-rods r r, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

GLEASON F. STARKWEATHER. 

